“That defined our style”: Angus Young on the album that gave AC/DC their unique sound
Listening to music and being exposed to a plethora of different chords, effects, and layers in a song can be an excellent feeling. However, some artists use this over-the-top approach to songwriting and end up creating something too overwhelming. Often, simplicity is key, and one of the greatest examples of this is with AC/DC and their excellent and unique sound.
Malcolm Young was one of the greatest rhythm guitarists of all time. It doesn’t matter what genre of music you’re into; you have to be able to recognise how much of a genius he was when it came to using few chords but being able to string together iconic riffs around them. Tracks like ‘Highway To Hell’, ‘Back In Black’, and ‘Who Made Who’ all adopt similar chord structures and are instantly recognisable. It’s a true testament to the band.
Angus Young was always keen to heap praise onto his brother and the magic he managed to make on his six-string. “I would say ‘Bad Boy Boogie’,” he said when discussing his favourite of his brother’s riffs. “[It] has got a flavour because it’s got a little bit of a twist in it. It sounds easy, but Malcolm had a little twist that I don’t think many could do […] How clever was he to do that? I still play it just for the fact that he just changed that little note around.”
AC/DC have managed to create a completely unique sound that is unquestionably theirs. There could never be another band that tries to replicate the sound of AC/DC because it is so intrinsically linked to the band that any attempt to do so would be clear copying. The band exist in a vacuum.
It took them some time to arrive at this style of music. They were making music in their home and garage, trying to find a sound that suited them. They were also constantly on the road, performing half-written drafts of their songs in a bid to work out what sounded good and what didn’t. It wasn’t until they went to the studio and committed to creating their first album, High Voltage, that AC/DC definitively found their unique sound.
“That was our first real album, and it was the one that defined our style. Up until that point, all we had really done was a lot of touring around Australia, so it was great to get into a studio and really hear how we sounded,” said Angus. “What was impressive about that album was that it sold on word-of-mouth alone because music on Australian radio at that time was really soft.”
It wasn’t just this album that helped them define their sound, but their unwavering nature when making their records afterwards. As Angus states, Australian radio was very soft, and a number of new genres were making their way to the top. AC/DC had the chance to change their sound and try to get more radio play, but they instead stuck with the sound they were excited about making and became one of the greatest rock bands on the planet as a result.
